Vending-machine.



PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908.

N m ..m 1 mu L M & m S u m O W H O ING N H 'n W A H 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J w 5 H W if w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT WHITTER NIOHOLES AND JOHN REECE JONES, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNORS TO VENDING SHOWCASE COMPANY, OF ROME, GEORGIA.

VENDING-MACHIN E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed January 3, 1908. Serial No. 409,137. 1

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT WHITTER NICHOLES and JoHN REEoE JoNEs, citizens of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Vending- Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vending machines, and especially to machines of that class employed for the sale of cigars and other small articles.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine of such construction as to permit the purchaser to select the cigar or other article with the same facility as would be afforded in an ordinary store.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vending machine in which a pair of tongs or similar devices are laced at the disposal of the purchaser, so that he may pick out any one article from a box or reservoir, the tongs being so arranged as to permit the lifting of all the cigars or other articles, one byone, for examination, and, after the selection is made, the article is carried by the tongs to a delivery point.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the selecting tongs after movement to the delivery point are automatically locked against return movement to the selecting point, so that only a single article may be carried to the delivery point at each operation.

A still further object of the invention is to i provide a vending machine in which a plu ,rality of cigar boxes or other containing reservoirs are movable by the intending purchaser to the selecting position, so that the purchaser may select a cigar or other article from any of the boxes and may obtain the brand and exact shade of cigar desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arran ement of arts, hereinafter described and illustrated drawings, and particularly pointed out in the ap ended claims.

n the accompanying drawings :Figure 1.

is a sectionalelevation of a vendin machine constructed in accordance with t e invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view illustrating the construction and arrangement of the tongs and tongs support.

in the accomp anying Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the coin slot. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the box carriers. Fig. 6 is a side eleva-j tion showing a modified construction of carrier. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating a box carrying tray which may be em loyed.

orresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar charactors of reference.

The working parts of the machine are arranged within a suitable casing 10 that is formed principally of glass panels in order that the operation of the parts may be at all times within view.

Mounted within suitable bearings in the casing is a horizontally disposed shaft 11 carrying a pair of spoked wheels 12, the spokes preferably extending some distance beyond the peripheries of the wheels and being provided with inturned end portions forming pivot'pins or trunnions 13 on which are-hung the cigar boxes or other receptacles 14.

The resent machine is designed more especial y for vending cigars, and it is preferred that all of the cigar boxes be arranged on the wheel with their lids in open position and tilted back at such an angle that the label or brand may be clearly visible from the front of the machine. The boxes are carried by spring wire frames 15 so bent as to form a pair of arms that extend under the box and a pair of eyes 16 that receive the ivot pins or trunnions 13. The lids of the oxes are opened to the desired angle and are retained in place by wires 17 preferably U-sha ed in form and provided with pointed ends tliat may be forced into the wood of the lid and box. The opening of the lid shifts the center of gravity of the box rearward of the vertical plane of the eyes 16, and-to correct this, small weights 19 are attached to the front edges of the boxes. Each weight is preferablyin the form of a metallic bar of U shape in cross section so that it may be read-' ily slipped over the upper edge of the front wall of the box. t The revolving carrier or Ferris .wlieel may be arranged to contain and support any desired number ofboxes, and they may be of the same ,or. different brands and provided with the same or different colored wrappers, althougheach cigar is to be sold for the same price, as, for instance, a nickel or dime.

The revoluble carrier may be rotated in a number of ways in order to bring the desired box to the selectin or selling point; In one construction, the shaft 11 is provided with a worm wheel 21 which is engaged by a worm 22 on a shaft 23 that extends to a point outside the casing and is there provided with a suitable operating crank.

Extendin .across the front of the casing is a horizonta ly disposed slot 25 in which is arranged a horizontal guide rod 26, and depending from the guide rod is a plate 27 that extends down parallel with the inner wall of the casing and preferably is held in contact therewith by a small strip spring 28. The upper end of the plate 27 is provided with a pair of spaced outwardly turned lu s having openings for the passage of the r0 26, and between these lugs is arranged a collar 32 that is pivoted on the rod and which carries a small sleeve 33 of link-like form in cross section. Through this sleeve 33 slides a pair of tongs 34 that preferably are formed of. flat spring wire, the strip of which the tongsis made be'in centrally bent to form a handle 35 that is Iocated outside the box or casing and is to be grasped by the intending purchaser. The inner ends of the tongs are turned downward, forming jaws 36 which normally are held in open position by the inherent elasticit of the wire. The opening movement of t e tongs is limited by a link 37 embracing both jaws and setured to one of them. The extent of opening movement is but slightly greater than the diameter'of a sin le cigar or other article, and the distance of t elink from the ends of the jaws is such that only a single cigar or other article can be caught by the 'aws at each operation. The tongs are slida ly mounted in the sleeve 33 and may be readily moved to and fro, while the sleeve is swiveled to the collar 32, so as to permit considerable freedom of movement of the tongs in examining and selecting a cigar.

The plate 27 is normally held from movement to the left by a stop 40 projecting from the inner wall of the front of the casing, and to release the plateand thereby, permit the operator to move the tongs to the selecting position, it becomes necessary to de osit a coin or check. For this purpose, the f r ont of the casing has a slot 41 into which a coin may be inserted, and the'coin falls down, turning to a vertical position, andits edge strikes against the inner face ofthe late 27 and forces the same outward, so tiat the plate may clear the stop 40. The inner face ofthe plate is provided with a cam 42 against which the coin strikes, and the coin thereupon becomes slightly wedged between this cam and the inner wall of the slot, so that when. the operator, rasping the tongs .34, pushes the plate 27 totthe left, the cam will ride against the projecting edgeof the coin and the plate wil clear the stop, so that the selecting tongs may be moved over the cigar box. The customer may now turn and shift the tongs to pick up and examine the lecting position until after the insertion ofanother coin.

Arranged within themain caslng is a partition48 that is disposed between one side of the revolving carrier and the delivery slide or chute 49, which latter terminates in a drawer or trough 50 into which the selected cigar is delivered. When the operator moves the tongs back to the right, the tongs remain over this chute, and when the tongs are released, the cigar falls by gravity tofthe delivery lpoint. As before stated, it istheii eto. again move'the tongs and plate impossib 4 to selecting position until after the deposit of another coin or check. l v I In some cases a carrier of the type shown in Fig. 6 may be employed. In this case the carrier is formed of a piece of wire, that is twisted as indicatedat 17"for'the purpose of forming a lid clamping and holding means. As this additional arm will tendfto further shift the-center of gravity of the .box on the carrier, the pivot eyes are arranged somewhat to the rear of the center as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

Fig; 7 illustrates a further modification in the form of a carrying tray 17?, the tray being provided with pivot ears arranged to the rear of the center.

In constructing the machine, it is pre-1 ferred to make the coin slot follow a more or less tortuous line, so that it will be impossible to operate the device by the insertion of a knife blade or the like, and as an additional precaution a shield 50 may be em loyed at a point to the rear of the elongate slot 25, so-

as to prevent movement of the member 27 by the insertion of a pin or wire.

1. .In a vending machine, a casing having an elongated slot, a box or reservoir within said casing, a guide rod, a sleeve tiltably and slidabl mounted on 'the rod, and a pair of tongs s idably mounted in the sleeve and having an operating handle extending through i the slot.

2. In a vending machine, a casing having an elongated slot, a box or reservoir within the casing, a uide rod'arranged with the slot, a sleeve t1ltably and slidably mounted on the rod, and a pair of springo ened v tongs slidably mounted in the sleeve an having an operating handle extending through the slot.

3. In a vending machine, a casing, av box or reservoir therein, a guide rod, a sleeve tiltably and slidably mounted on the rod a selecting member slidably mounted in said sleeve and movable from a selecting position 7 over the box or reservoir to a delivery osition, and means for automatically loo 'ng said selecting member from return movement.

4. In a vend1ng machine, a casing, a box or reservoir, a. guide rod, a sleeve tlltably and slidably mounted on the rod, a selecting member slidably mounted in said sleeve and movable from selecting position over said box or reservoir to a delivery position, means for automatically locking the selecti member in the delivery position, and a felivery chute or channel leading from the casing.

5. In a vending machine, a casing, a plurality of boxes or reservoirs, a'carrier therefor, means for revolving said carrier to bring any one of the boxes or reservoirs to a selecting position, a guide rod, a sleeve tiltably and shdably mounted on said guide rod, and a freely movable selecting member slidably mounted in said sleeve and movable from the selecting position to a delivery position.

6. In a vending machine, a casing, a pair of revoluble wheels arranged therein and provided-with trunnions, box carrying wires pivotally hung on said trunnions, means for bent wire carrier having a pair of pivot eyes and provided with a rearwardly extended 1n';

tegral arm forming a lid clamping and holding means.

rier, means for rotating the same to present any box to select-i position, a rod held parallel to the axis 0 rotation of said carrier, and a selecting member mounted for sliding movement on said rod.

9. In combination, a revoluble box car- I rier, means for rotating the same to present any box to selecting position, a rod held par allel to the axis of rotation of said carrier, a sleeve tiltably and slidabl mounted on said rod, and a selecting mem p, r carried by said sleeve,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto afiixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

HERBERT WHITTER NEEDLES, JOHN REECE JONES.

Witnesses:

E. L. Bnooxs, M. W. BROWN.

, 4O 8. In combination, a revoluble box car- 

